Loving you was sunshine, safe and sound

A steady place to let down my defenses

But loving you had consequences


Watching Tsuna come awake all at once was… annoying. He shouldn't be anywhere near the instinct to come completely awake at the drop of a hat. That wasn't something children did . Not unless they had to, not unless they didn't feel safe enough to sleep deeply. With his Flames sealed, and the amount of sleeping medication she'd given him, he should have slept much longer. But Tsuna lived to make her life difficult, just like his father.

Viper sighed wearily to herself, her cloak ruffling like disgruntled feathers when she turned to follow Tsuna from one room to the next. It was even more annoying to see how much Tsuna had inherited from Reborn, since the man had the same bad habit of waking up from a dead sleep abruptly, when he wasn't dozing off with his eyes open to creep other people out.

'I wonder… Could Tsuna also do that? Is it hereditary? Can something like that even be hereditary?'

It was very cute though, watching Tsuna subtly freak out at the amount of money and clothes she'd given him. He always tried to be so very grown up, so the rare few times he let himself act like the kid he was, were precious. Mostly when something caught him completely off guard. Good or Bad, the reaction was mostly genuine.

It was strangely rewarding to give Tsuna things he never asked for, just to get those reactions from him. Even her covetously guarded money was easy to spend when it came to this one little boy. It had been years since she'd had such ease spending money on things. That coat itself had taken two jobs to pay for, and Viper did not come cheap.

' The fur alone…'

Viper peered over Tsuna's shoulder when he shoved both notes she'd left into his pockets after hurriedly wiping at his eyes with one leather clad arm. Was he keeping the notes she'd written earlier? That was sweet, in a very sad way. They we're just note's telling him where she'd gone vaguely, they weren't even true since she'd hadn't added anything nice the way that woman did the days she remembered she had a son who needed to eat lunch at school. Scowling at the reminder that Tsuna was going back to his whore of a mother, Viper phased through the door once Tsuna shut it, and floated invisibly behind him.

A short walk towards the elevator and they were heading down to the lobby. Tsuna seemed strangely tense but he was odd at the best of time, so she didn't give it much thought. The next bus going back to Namimori was close to 20 minutes away, so they had a little time to get to the bus stop before it arrived.

Viper scanned the surrounding area on instinct with her Mist Flames, but didn't find anything that jumped out at her as concerning. That was great news since she had a few errands to run after making sure Tsuna got home safely, before heading back towards Italy and requesting some time off.

Xanxus wasn't likely to deny her either, not if he wanted to keep his Mist officer or have a happy Storm officer. Bel was very attached to her, and when she wasn't lying to herself on the bad days, she could admit she was just as attached to him.

But she needed to be here when Tsuna contacted Reborn for the first time, even if Tsuna didn't know she was. He'd hate it if she tried to coddle him but Reborn could be volatile in the worst ways of his Flame Type when he wanted to be, overly cruel and single-minded. She didn't think he'd be anything other than horribly over-protective when he realized Tsuna was his son but she'd been wrong about him before. And this wasn't something she was willing to chance.

She'd sooner fight Reborn then ever let that stubborn, fragile kid get hurt by even one more person that was supposed to love and support him. Over her dead body. Bel could deal with that type of let down, Hibari would rage against it, but Tsuna..

Tsuna would either self-destruct, going into a truly devastating discord or close his heart off for good. Neither of which Viper was prepared to let happen. It would just be better for everyone if she was their to mediate, just in case something went wrong.

Stepping out of the elevator Viper languidly followed after Tsuna. The kid kept glancing around nervously and it was making her nervous. Not that he could see that. But when he took off running at a breakneck speed, Viper was right behind him. Tsuna was canny in ways most street kids were, something she'd lost a long time ago. If he thought something was dangerous she'd trust his instincts for now, at least until whatever had spooked him showed itself.

Fantasma keeps up with the kid easily, no matter the turns he takes or how hard he pushes himself. If he can't even outpace her Flame animal while running, he'll definitely need to start on a fitness plan. At least he had stamina from all that running away from the little Hibari all he time, otherwise he'd be completely unprepared for the physically grueling aspects of life in the Mafia.

He also hadn't fallen yet, which was slightly impressive with how much Will the Seal ended up, well, sealing away. Unfortunately, the Flame actives she'd overlooked while in the hotel elevator where gaining on them. It was suspicious that they'd pick Tsuna to chase. Did they know who he was? And if they did how? Or was this completely unrelated to Tsuna's parents? Only one way to find out really. It was a good thing he didn't know she was still here, otherwise he'd never act as natural as he was now.

'Acting lessons would also be needed before Reborn was told. He's done well with Shamel but that was while the good Doctor was compromised emotionally. He can get to cocky when he knows he has someone more powerful behind him to back his words up. That had to go.'

Ah. She's spoken to soon.

Rolling her eyes Viper hovered slightly behind Tsuna as he tumbled along the ground on his knees. It looked like it had to hurt, but would only leave a small scar if any, so there was no need to intervene just yet. Even though she did hate to see him in pain it was necessary.

When the first two of the group that had chased them grabbed Tsuna, Viper had to physically stop herself from stabbing him with her Mist constructed dagger. Fighting physically with Mist Flames was.. Disgraceful, but she'd do much, much worse if she had to. But she couldn't. Not if she wanted to know what these men wanted from Tsuna.

With a sigh Viper waved away the weapon and took control of both the group in front of her, and the rest of the group that surrounded them. They were now trapped in her Mist for however long she wished it. With only a few low-purity Lightnings and one weak Sun, they had no way of knowing what was happening or how to get out. She'd deal with them after she took care of the two who'd grabbed Tsuna.

'But first …' Viper mused to herself, 'where to take them?'

With the men trailing behind her, glazed eyes looking stupidly at nothing, Viper Mist-walked the four of them to an out of the way ally right by where she could vaguely sense a flamiler Rain. The sushi man would take Tsuna safely back to town, if for no other reason than because his son was strangely attached to the kid. Something that couldn't have anything to do with the boys sealed Sky Flames since they'd only met after the sealing. (' An introduction Tsuna was sure to tell her about, extensively , after it happened. For weeks.')

Looking to the sky, Viper hummed thoughtfully. She could leave the three of them here and go see what the rest of the group knew, or she could let them go and see how the rest of the encounter played out. It was dark enough that it would be highly unlikely for them to realize how little time had passed, despite how far away from the others they had gotten. If they even had the Flame power to do that. Whatever Family they we're from had to either be very, very weak or extremely desperate to send mostly unawakened members and low-powered Flame Users out to do...whatever this was.

It made her curious.

' Tsuna's group it was then. Let's see what they have to say.'

Viper released the men holding Tsuna from her Mist and watched as they continued where they 'thought' they'd left off.

"Alright, kid. Here's what's gonna happen. I'm gonna let you down, and you're gonna put this little sheet on your tongue." The large on started first. He was Italian, Viper noticed. And the one mostly in charge. But from the way the other, smaller man was glaring at him, it hadn't been an unanimous decision. So no clear hierarchy. "We're far enough away from anyone else that if you try to run we'll catch you. If you try to scream, I'll break your jaw. Alright?"

' That was not a very smart thing to say in front of me, Lightning. Not at all.'

Tsuna proud little thing that he was, nodded reluctantly. The larger man dropped him roughly, sealing his own fate when Tsuna winced at the sharp pain that had to be from where he'd skinned his knees earlier. The other man, who still didn't seem to like the way the larger one was handling things, walked around him and tugged Tsuna up.

"Here. Stick this on your tongue then hold it out. Like this." The man showed Tsuna what he wanted him to do, in the most condescending way you could ever talk to a child. This child in particular hated that tone, so it didn't surprise her when instead of doing the smart thing and just listening to the man, maybe getting him on your side so you could escape, Tsuna had the bright idea to snark back. This boy was to much like his father.

So no, it didn't surprise her. But the punch he got in return enraged her. Viper hated child abusers. They made no sense, they had no control and they made everyone look bad when the police caught one from the Mafia. If she didn't need to know what they were looking for, and if Tsunayoshi had been the target or just an unlucky bystander, he'd be dead because of that hit alone.

But even as it burned her, she did need him alive. At least for a little while longer. Just a little while. So Viper took to pacing around the three of them, both to ease off some of the anger she was, fortunately not used to feeling and so she could take in all of their expressions. The large man had the eyes of a killer, one who'd killed for so long and so often that he's numbed his emotions down to almost nothing. Only weak hitman did such a thing, ones who couldn't reconcile the thought of killing someone with themselves so they forced themselves to stop feeling it. Breaking irrecoverably in the process.

"Open your mouth."

The other one though.. He was skittish. Or maybe paranoid? His eyes kept darting around, scared someone might catch them? Or was he sensing her and didn't know what to make of it? He wasn't trying to rein in the other man at all, but he also didn't have the same look in his eyes. ( She was trying her hardest to ignore the small, whimpering ball on the ground at their feet, right then. There was nothing she could do to comfort him and knowledge was more important than the fear Tsuna was going though at the moment. Even though she hated to think of it like that, you don't become one of the best by letting your emotions control you. )

Whichever Family these two were from, if they we're a family at all. It didn't train its members very well. Lal March would have a field day with them both. If the rest of the group was anything like these two, then she might be overreacting the slightest bit. Didn't mean they still weren't all going to die for what they'd already done to Tsuna. But it would be nice if the poor kid didn't have anything more to worry about.

"You're a Sky."

Oh, yes. They were definitely dying. Some other Family finding out there's a Sky in Namimori was not going to happen. Way to big of a headache for her to have to deal with. In a flurry of activity, Viper forced just enough of her Mist into the two men's minds to allow Tsuna to slip though. He took off like she knew he would, the kid always had a great sense of when to escape, and she let the two chase after him.

She made sure to cover the side alleys so Tsuna didn't accidentally go into one and get trapped, and quickly started herding all three towards the Rain Flame from earlier. It was easier then she thought it would be. The men seemed desperate now that they knew what Flame Type Tsuna was, telling her without words that they really hadn't known beforehand. It truly did seem to just be a coincidence that he'd been the one found.

When Tsuna flew out from the ally and into the light Viper made her move. Snatching the two men mid run, she carried both of them towards the rest of their group. It took only a few seconds before she'd dropped them with the rest and faded back into the shadows around them.

Now that Tsuna was safely out of the way..

She had a few questions for them.

The first one she grabbed was a no name grunt. He wasn't active but he had the zing of metal taste to her senses, meaning if he ever did activate he'd be a Lightning. Unlikely for him, that would never happen. His leg was the first to be torn off by one of her Mist-Made Spiders. It made a large splat where it landed in front of the slowly coming to group. The man's screams only met the air in static bursts. All done to create an even larger sense of terror. It was so much easier to get answers when someone was afraid. And by the end of this, they would be very, very afraid.

Most of the group stared dumbly at the leg, a few, the smart ones, try to run. Unfortunately for them, they'd been trapped in her web for so long now, there really was no escape from the inside.

A sharp ripping sound, like when you tore jeans and this time an arm lands in the middle of the crowd, taking one non-active down with it. The man screams and the rest scatter as far from each other as they can.

It's not a very smart move.

One after the other, people are yanked into the unnatural darkness around them, a quick scream and then nothing, Soon whole groups were missing. Of the twenty-seven they started with, only two groups of three are left. The blood is gone, the body parts are gone and they'd never seen anything grab them or move them. They were just there then gone.

"That was annoying." This entire night had been annoying. First with Shamel, then Tsuna almost dying and now this. She had things to do!

The two groups that were left merge together quickly after nothing happens when she talks. They looked more like a huddle of un-cute looking rabbits then the grown men and women of the mafia.

"What do you want!" A simi-brave one calls out from where she's hiding behind some others, "This area isn't claimed by anyone! We checked! You have no right to- to-"

"Kill you?" Viper asks sardonically. "I have no right to kill you?"

The woman doesn't respond.

"Mou, that's funny. Because if we're using that logic, then you have no right to abduct children." Viper smiles grimmly from her place in the shadows. "But their weak and your strong so you can do whatever you want, right?"

The group tightens together, looking around wearily. Like they could find her if she didn't want to be found. Fools.

"By that logic, since I'm strong and your weak. I can do whatever I want." The shadows around them grow deeper, a hand bursts out from behind them and grabs the woman who'd tried and demand answers from her. "And what I want, more than anything else at the moment? Is most of you dead. I won't even charge you for my time. Aren't you lucky?"

Screams are her only answer. But that's alright, she wasn't much in the mood for talking anyways.


Hesitation, awkward conversation
Running on low expectation
Every siren that I was ignoring
I'm payin' for it


Viper looks around her, put out at all the body parts she's going to have to find some way to clean up. Heaving out a sigh she flicks her cloak's sleeve away with a grimace. She'd gotten a slight bit… carried away. It looked more like Bel had been there, instead of her. If she called this in she'd have to explain it and Xanxus still didn't know why she came to Namimori so regularly, although lately he'd been even more nosy about it then usual. They'd also never let her hear the end of it.

Ring~

Glancing down Viper conjured up her cell phone and cursed. Speak of the devil and he shall appear. Damnit.

Answering the phone Viper tried to keep her dripping sleeve away from her face. Blood smelt awful.

"What."

"Don't 'what' me, Miser bitch. Where are you?" Came the lovely voice of her Sky from down the line. Stupid, big brat.

"Japan. What do you want?" She bitched back. She really did not have time for this if she wanted to make her flight back, and she still had errands to run.

"What the fuck are you still in Japan for?" Some type of commotion in the background. God, she did not want to know what they we're doing. She'd probably be the one who'd end up having to pay for it anyways. The longer she could go with justifiable blindness the happier she would be.

"Arcobaleno business." Viper said simply.

"Really? Fuckin' really ? That's what your going with?" Xanxus said. The noise in the background that she's barely been able to hear before, rose substantially. "It's not to see that brat again is it?"

Viper whole body freezes. No one is supposed to know about Tsuna. No one. She'd made sure of it.

"What? You think I didn't know about him? Bel told me the first time you two got back, dumb bitch. Who is he?" Despite his harsh words, Xanxus's voice is still even. Not soft but not demanding either. He's curious. But if Xanxus ever found out Tsuna's 'identity…' This is exactly what she didn't want happening! Damnit, Bel!

"Drop it, Xanxus." She hisses out at him. "This has nothing to do with you OR the Family."

"So it IS your kid. Bel wasn't sure when he told me about him," His voice is incredibly smug sounding, "When'd you have time to have a kid, Mammon? He's what, six? That's a story I'm dying to hear!"

"You tell anyone about him and you'll be looking for a new Mist Guardian, Vongola."

The dead silence on the other end of the phone is the only indicator that whatever she's said had startled Xanxus. If her emotions weren't so frantic with the knowledge that if she didn't somehow stop this, Tsuna might die, Xanxus would definitely die and a war would start, she'd also be surprised with herself. Xanxus was her Sky but.. She wasn't bluffing about this.

"Viper." She said nothing. "If he's yours, he's one of us. I can't protect him from our enemies if I don't know anything about him." Xanxus's voice hardened. "I didn't even know he existed until Belphegor demanded why we didn't have any men stationed there to look after the kid while you were gone."

She was silent. She had no answers he would accept and she couldn't tell him the truth. Not yet, not until Tsuna had Reborn backing him completely. Xanxus would have no problem killing the kid to take him out of the running for Decimo, just in case his brothers all died.

"Is he dead?"

"What?" she said confused. Was who dead? Tsuna was fine..

"The man who fathered your brat. Is he dead." Does he think…

Does he think I didn't want Tsuna? That I was what, raped? When? Where ? That's the answer for a hidden child coming to light?

Viper wanted to groan at the sheer idiocy her Sky had apparently inherited from his adopted father, but couldn't. Because despite how distasteful it was, it was a good cover. It made sense in an extremely sexist way. Xanxus knew her gender, of course he did, he was her Sky. But that knowledge came with the unfortunate cultural aspects of that gender.

Like how women were 'weaker' than men, apparently. No matter that she was the Strongest Mist in the World, because she was a woman she was automatically considered weaker. It was why she'd started to wear her cloak to begin with. It got annoying fast. And Xanxus, despite being a very good Sky and a very logical male, was still raised in that culture. So while he knew, intellectually that she was just as strong as the rest of his Guardians, Stronger than all of them now that she was no longer Cursed. He still had stupid assumptions like this one, every now and then.

Normally she did everything she could to dissuade these episodes, but this would work in her favor. The only question was did she want to lie to her Sky about something so heinous happening to her, something he both had no idea about happening nor did he stop. Or did she want to tell him the truth knowing that he wouldn't stop looking until he found out who Tsuna really was?

She sighed heavily. "...Hn." This was a huge mess.

"Good ." Xanxus said. "Good.."

"...Right." She sighed, 'I'm leaving. I'll be back tonight. Tell-"

"When are you bringing him back with you? Luss already has a room picked out- It's beautiful, darling! He'll love it, I swear-" Luss's voice cuts into the phone out of nowhere then the sound of a brief struggle and Squalo now, apparently, has the phone.

"He better not be a fucking weakling! We won't baby him, you hear me? VOOOO-" Another brief struggle she can hear, this time echoed with the sound of a sword clashing and a gun that's unmistakably Xanxus's firing. A distinct 'Boss!' and Bel's unmistakable laughter follows. By which point Viper knows they've forgotten about her.

Hanging up, Viper flops down on the somewhat dried blood and huffs. Her Family is very annoying. But their good, in the vaguest sense of the term. They were still gonna give her hell when It came out, who exactly Tsuna was. That would be fun. Right .

Reaching up to the top of her hood she grasped Fantasma gently in her hand and brought the frog down to her level. "Listen. Go eat all the dead bodies. I don't want to have to deal with them, and I know you sneak into the morgues at night when I'm sleeping."

Fantasma gives her a look as if to say, 'Who me?' Rolling her unseen eyes Viper drops the frog down softly and stares up at the lightning sky. Tsuna would probably already be home now, or maybe at the Rain's house. With that stupid phone call she didn't have time to stop on his house before she left. It was annoying but unavoidable now.

Things were moving rapidly now that Tsuna knew for sure Reborn was his father. She wondered where all this would lead them. If Tsuna would be happy in the end. If Reborn would be.

Her phone rings again.

Knowing it's the idiots she calls Family, Viper picks up the phone without pausing to consider who else it could be. The smooth, dark voice on the other end of the line is not her Sky like she thought It'd be, or even Bel who was the second most likely to call her.

"Chaos."

It's Reborn.


Found loving you was sunshine, but then it poured

And I lost so much more than my senses

'Cause loving you had consequences